


Moving On

by MechBull



Category: The Red Line (TV 2019)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:54:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22022137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MechBull/pseuds/MechBull
Summary: Liam makes a dumb choice. They figure it out eventually.
Relationships: Daniel Calder/OMC, Liam Bhatt/Daniel Calder, Liam Bhatt/OMC





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Between mature and explicit, probably

Jira yawned widely and leaned against Daniel. He smiled down at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. 

“Did you have fun tonight?”

“Mm-hmm,” she responded. “Gonna be rough tomorrow morning, though.”

“Yep. Don’t think you’re getting out of school, either.”

Jira didn’t respond with anything more than a smile and a nod. Shortly thereafter, they arrived at their stop. Daniel nudged Jira, who appeared to have dozed off. They stood and walked off the train. Jira led Daniel down the stairs and then she took his hand. They walked the few blocks to the house, swinging their joined hands back and forth. 

Daniel flipped on the lights as they entered, then glanced over at Jira, watching as she took off her coat and hung it up. 

“Go on up to bed, punchkin.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” she joked. She walked away from him, but stopped when she hit the foot of the stairs. She turned to look at him, tilting her head curiously. “Did _you_ have fun tonight?”

He pressed his lips together, raising his eyebrows and nodding as he _mm-hmm_ ed. “Of course.”

“You just seem…kind of subdued. Dad, Tia won!”

“I know. I’m happy. Just tired.” 

“OK,” she replied, somewhat suspiciously. But she didn’t push any further, finally turning and walking up the stairs. 

Daniel waited until he heard her bedroom door open and close before he turned to check the front door was locked. He turned the lights off again, making his way through the dark to the stairs, knowing the path after so many years. He started unbuttoning his shirt before he even hit his room, and he stripped it off as he crossed the threshold. He tossed it aside, then sat on the foot of the bed. He should just finish getting undressed, he knew. He should go to bed. He’d be exhausted the next day as it was. 

But he gave into the temptation and finally pulled his phone out of his pocket. He’d wanted to check it all night, hoping for some message, some explanation for why he was late or –

There were no notifications on the screen. He hadn’t missed any texts or calls. 

Daniel closed his eyes and sighed. 

He hadn’t really thought Liam would come, anyway.

**

Liam felt vaguely like puking when he looked up at a sound and saw Daniel walk into his classroom. After so many years of these visits, he should be used to the mixed emotions that he felt whenever Daniel sought him out for even a minute or two of conversation. But he still hadn’t decided what he was going to say the next time he saw him, and so…he wasn’t ready for it.

“Morning,” he said, stalling for time.

Daniel nodded, then dropped eye contact immediately. He walked farther into the room, dragging two fingers across the nearest desk. 

“Ah,” Liam began. Then he just resolved to bring up the damn elephant. “Jira must be excited for Tia.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she is.”

Liam licked his lips. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised that Daniel wasn’t making this any easier for him. 

Daniel had been messing up Liam’s emotions for five years, after all.

“How – how was the party?” he asked. 

“Good,” Daniel said quickly. He looked up, making eye contact again. God, the expression in them… “Fun. Sorry you missed it.”

Liam sucked in his lips. He nodded. “I didn’t – ” He looked down, sighing. “I didn’t think – it would be a good idea.”

He had spent the entire previous night resisting the urge to head to the party, to find Daniel and kiss him and tell him he wanted to be with him, that he really did miss him too, that he wanted to figure out whether there was something real between them, that that day in Daniel’s house, when he said he wanted to make him smile more, was the happiest he’d been in weeks. But…there? Then? It just didn’t _feel_ right. Maybe if it had been some place where it could just be the two of them. Maybe if it hadn’t been so soon, when Liam still hadn’t sorted his feelings and his fears out in his head. 

He searched for some way to say all that, breathing in and opening his mouth in the hope that something eloquent would come out.

Daniel shook his head, cutting him off before he could even try. “It’s OK,” Daniel said. “I understand.”

Liam wondered if Daniel could explain it to him, then. But neither of them seemed capable of speaking more. Then, to make it worse, the bell rang and the sound of students filled the hall. Daniel twisted, glancing up at the clock, then faced Liam again. He gave him one more wan smile, then started backing away. Liam wanted to close the distance between them, grab his arms, and hold him still while he kissed him. 

“I hope we can be friends,” Daniel said, sounding _almost_ like he sincerely meant it, like there were no hard feelings. 

Liam’s jaw slackened in surprise. He tried to protest. That wasn’t – he didn’t mean – 

The first of the students in the next class walked in, finding their seats. Daniel ducked his head, angling past the kids as he headed for the door. Liam felt paralyzed. And then Daniel was gone, and it was too late.

**

But maybe it was for the best, Liam had decided by lunchtime. Maybe Daniel was right. There was a reason that Liam had decided not to go to the party, after all, even if he couldn’t fully explain it. There was a reason he wasn’t sure if he was ready to forgive and trust Daniel again. There was a reason that he feared he’d never be what Daniel really wanted, that he’d always be second-best, that Daniel only liked him because he knew that Liam liked _him_ and was flattered or something, that he felt some kind of obligation or had mistaken friendship for something more, that – worst of all – Liam was just conveniently _there_ , someone to keep Daniel warm at night.

Liam was pretty sure he could handle _this_ , the lost potential of something that might have been, simply returning to a friendship that he’d convinced himself long ago could be – would have to be – _enough_ for him. He could handle it better, at any rate, than he’d be able to deal with what could happen if they actually risked more and ruined everything they had. 

So, even if he hadn’t quite made up his mind, he’d accept the conclusion that Daniel had drawn. Friends. They’d be friends, and just forget about anything else. 

He walked into the lunch room and nearly lost his conviction when he saw Daniel already seated at their usual table. Liam took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, and started walking again. 

“You went with the mystery meat, huh?” he asked by way of greeting. 

Daniel looked up at him, hesitating before he smiled. “Thought I’d take a risk.”

There was a moment of awkwardness, and Liam just barely paused as he sat down. He wondered if there was some kind of message in that. If Daniel was trying to tell him something, or was criticizing him for not…

“You’re braver than I am,” he said, and maybe it was his own way of speaking in code. But before he let it hang there between them, he forced himself to keep talking. “Salad bar for me.”

He found he couldn’t really look to see how Daniel responded to that, so he just dug into his lunch.

**

It had been three nights so far of terrible insomnia. Daniel was exhausted, physically, but his mind wouldn’t shut up and his heart wouldn’t stop hurting. He lifted his head to glance at the clock – 2 AM – and then he dropped back down with a sigh.

He turned his head, peering through the darkness at the empty side of the bed. Harrison hadn’t been there for months now. He didn’t even know which side of the bed Liam preferred. He _did_ know that it would apparently be quite some time before he had to worry about making space for someone else. 

The thing is, he meant it when he told Liam that he missed _him_ , that he wanted something with _him_. It wasn’t just because he was lonely.

That didn’t change the fact that he _was_ lonely. And now he had to figure out how to get over Liam on top of that. 

Daniel closed his eyes and pressed his lips together, swallowing against a lump in his throat. Without letting himself think about it anymore, he deliberately shifted over to the side until he was in the center of the mattress. He slowly spread his arms and legs out across the sheets, warm on one side where he’d just been and cool on the other. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d taken up an entire bed all to himself.

**

Liam sat in the corner of the room, feeling almost as if he were trying to disappear into the furniture or something. When Daniel had reminded him that there was an Equality Chicago meeting that night, he came so close to backing out. In his head, he connected Daniel asking him to be a part of the group with him asking Liam for – other things, too. But judging by Daniel’s hesitantly hopeful expression, he didn’t make the same connection, or was trying not to. Liam forced himself to remember they’d agreed to be friends. Colleagues with shared interests and – well, it seemed almost like he’d be making more of an issue out of it, if he backed out now.

So, he went, and he regretted every moment of it. Because most of the active members were couples. Two men that Daniel seemed to know pretty well occasionally slid glances over at Liam, which he pretended not to notice. He also couldn’t stop thinking about how, in the past, whenever Daniel had gone to these sorts of events, he would have been part of a couple too. Some insecure part of him still felt that Daniel was looking for him to be a replacement, and he just couldn’t or wouldn’t do that. He didn’t want to take Harrison’s place, like some sort of stand-in. And the last few weeks, whenever he thought of that particular conversation, he heard “no one could” much more clearly than any of Daniel’s attempts to convince him that wasn’t what he wanted from Liam anyway. That he wanted _him_. 

At any rate, seeing all those couples and all the subtle little things that indicated they were together and all the not so subtle little things as well…it was too difficult to sit there and know that he and Daniel were among the very few members who weren’t paired up. And the sly little looks Daniel’s friends kept sending his way made it even worse.

As the meeting neared its end, he discreetly pulled out his phone and brought up his email. He read the message he’d received earlier in the day, the one he just put on the backburner in his mind because he was too worried about the meeting. He read through it again, noted the dates, and realized it was just what he needed. 

Suddenly, the rest of the group started moving – standing, talking more freely, reaching out for coats, and so on. Somehow, the meeting had wrapped up without Liam even really noticing it. He held back, shaking a few hands and nodding here and there as he waited for the others to leave. He could maybe handle one uncomfortable conversation with Daniel, if it got him out of more in the future. 

He watched as Daniel said goodbye to his friends, dropping his gaze in embarrassment when the shorter, bald one looked at him again. But then…it was just the two of them.

They seemed to wordlessly agree to head out of the meeting hall room together. Liam couldn’t help but smile as Daniel held the door open for him. He tried to hide his nerves by walking down the stairs ahead of Daniel. 

“Brr,” he heard behind him. Liam turned to look over his shoulder, smiling fondly as Daniel shivered with exaggeration. “It’s cold out.”

“Well, it is almost December,” Liam pointed out, trying not to put too much flirtation into his teasing.

“Yeah.” Daniel nodded, laughing, looking at Liam as he pulled on his gloves. “So…what did you think?”

“Of the group?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Liam shrugged. “It’s – they all seem nice. And you seem to have convinced them to be a little more aggressive, so that’s – good job with that.”

Daniel nodded. “I mean, the priority right now is still the New Year’s Party, so I suppose it’s still a bit slow-going.”

“Baby steps,” Liam agreed. 

They were silent for a while, and then just before they hit the bottom of the stairs to the L stop, Daniel began speaking again. “So, do you think you’ll – ”

“I can’t be a part of the group,” Liam cut him off. 

“Oh! Oh, I – I – ”

“I’d like to,” Liam continued quickly, hoping it sounded sincere. “But I’ve been ‘volunteered’ to be the staff liaison to the school board, and virtually all the meetings overlap.”

After a pause, Daniel simply said _oh_ again. Liam wanted to believe he sounded disappointed. They didn’t say much else to each other as they waited for the train, and Liam was incredibly grateful that they only had to ride two stops together before he got off the train.

**

Daniel had just unlocked the front door when his phone buzzed with a new text message. Part of him hoped it was Liam, although he didn’t know why it would be. Their conversation – or lack thereof – after the meeting was strained enough. He couldn’t imagine Liam would want to continue that over the phone.

He had to get over this, Daniel knew. He was having a hell of a time with it, though, and every time he thought he was moving on, he just said or did something to make Liam clearly uncomfortable again. He desperately didn’t want to do that. If he couldn’t have – well, he wanted to be Liam’s friend. He didn’t want to drive him away. He didn’t want to ruin _everything_ between them. 

But because everything _was_ so off, of course the text wasn’t from him. It wasn’t much better though, because it was from Scoot.

_So, that was him?_

Daniel sighed. _Yes and no_ , he typed back.

_??_

_It’s not going to work out. He’s not interested in a relationship._

He sent the message quickly, like pulling off a band-aid or something. For some reason, telling someone that his hopes had been dashed made the whole thing seem real. 

Daniel sighed and looked away from his phone. “Hello?” he shouted out. 

“Up in my room!” 

“You eat?”

“Yeah!”

Before Daniel could say anything more, his phone buzzed again. 

_Huh_ , Scoot had written. _That wasn’t the impression I got from him._

 _Trust me_ , Daniel replied. He silenced his phone and pocketed it so he didn’t have to continue the conversation, at least not then. 

“You want some ice cream?” he shouted up to Jira.

“…It’s almost December,” she called back.

“Never too cold for ice cream.”

She didn’t respond verbally, but she did join him in the kitchen a minute or two later. She pulled a couple bowls down from the shelf while he opened the freezer and found the carton. She grabbed some spoons, while he pulled the chocolate sauce from the fridge. They met at the counter, passing items back and forth as they made their sundaes.

“How was your meeting?” Jira asked.

“Just fine, punchkin.”

Daniel pretended he didn’t notice her curious stare. Eventually, she looked away, focusing on the ice cream again.

**

Liam tried not to grimace at the first taste of the coffee. Whoever had brewed it for the school board meeting had apparently never tasted good coffee in their life. But he’d need caffeine to get through the meeting that night. It had been a long day at school already, and he would be there for another couple hours.

“Pro tip,” came a voice suddenly next to him. Liam tried not to spill as he jumped in surprise. “Never drink the sludge they offer here.” 

He turned to look at the speaker and immediately blinked in surprise. He was…attractive, to say the least. 

Hot like burning might be a more accurate description. 

“Now you tell me.”

The joke was fairly weak, but not as weak as Liam went in the knees when the guy smiled. Good grief, the whole getting over Daniel thing might not take as long as he thought it would. 

“Evan Onasis,” he said, holding out a hand.

Liam shook it, even as he furrowed his brow. “Like Jackie?”

Evan laughed, in that sort of way like he’d heard it a million times but also like he wanted Liam to think that he thought Liam was hilarious. 

“It’s Greek. It supposedly means ‘lover.’”

“I – see,” Liam said, still somewhat flustered by the more than blatant signals he was being sent and by the fact that he was enjoying it more than he felt like he should. “Liam Bhatt.”

“Yeah, I know. I recognize you from your arrest picture.”

Liam nodded, lifting his hand to scratch at his eyebrow in embarrassment. “Yep, that was me.”

“I thought it was a hell of a thing.”

“You’re not a teacher,” Liam said quickly and leadingly, wanting to change the subject off of the arrest, or maybe off of Jira and Daniel. 

“No, but I’ve been on the board for 2 years now. I’m a lawyer. My kid is in middle school.”

He pulled out his wallet and flipped it open to a picture. Liam dutifully looked at it, using the opportunity to lean closer to Evan as he did so. Man, he smelled fantastic. Liam swallowed.

“Cute,” he observed, pointedly not adding the _kid_ to make it just ambiguous enough.

Evan’s smile in response was more than a little knowing. 

“Max is great,” he said. “Although he’s acted out a bit since my partner and I split. His other dad moved out to California and doesn’t see him much.”

“That’s too bad.”

They shared a look, and Evan clearly was about to say more when the meeting was called to order. They turned away from each other slightly to look at the board’s chairwoman speaking at the front of the room. Evan flashed him a smile, walking towards the chairs and choosing one with an open spot next to it. 

Liam paused a moment. _Fuck it_ , he finally thought. _If it was meant to be with Daniel, it wouldn’t still be this hard._

He took the seat next to Evan and pretended he didn’t notice how Evan slid his foot over just enough to press his shoe against Liam’s. He smiled into his cup of coffee as he took another drink.

It wasn’t so bad, he decided.


	2. Chapter 2

Tia had invited them over for Thanksgiving, so Daniel returned the favor for Christmas dinner. Which worked out well for him and Jira because they could just collapse on the couch to digest after the others left. He yawned, vaguely thinking about finally getting up to clean the kitchen. 

Maybe he’d just sell the house instead. 

“Dad?” Jira spoke for the first time in close to half an hour. The hesitant way she addressed him was concerning.

“Yes?”

She pushed herself up, repositioning to lean against his shoulder. She curled up her legs and wrapped an arm around his waist. So this was serious.

“You remember when we talked about how you might want to start dating again?”

It was Daniel’s turn to hesitate. He had no idea where she was going with this. He didn’t know if he really wanted to talk about it, considering everything. He had been so…hopeful…back then.

“Yes,” he finally said. His answer was terse, but not short enough to deter her. 

“I guess I thought you had someone specific in mind.” 

“I…did,” he admitted, wondering how much she had figured out. 

After a long pause, Jira asked in nearly a whisper, “Did he say no?”

She actually sounded sad, although Daniel couldn’t say for certain why. Maybe she was just regretting starting the conversation to begin with. He wondered how to respond. Liam hadn’t said no, _exactly_ , but he hadn’t said _yes_ , either. Daniel closed his eyes and sighed. 

“It’s complicated.”

“Because you work with him?”

So…she’d figured out enough. Daniel struggled not to tense up. They tried too hard to be honest and open with each other, after everything, for him to just dismiss her questions. She didn’t get to have access to every aspect of his life and his heart, but she deserved to know some things. 

“That’s part of it,” he ultimately agreed. “I can’t really explain all of it.” 

“But it’s – it’s definitely not going to happen?”

“I don’t think so, honey, no.”

She was quiet for a long time. Daniel wanted to figure out something to say, but he didn’t really know what she wanted to hear anyway. 

“I’m sorry,” Jira finally said. “You deserve…something nice.”

Daniel blinked against sudden tears. He hid them by turning his head to kiss the top of hers. He inhaled deeply, letting the scent of her hair calm him. She wasn’t all he needed, but she came pretty close, most of the time.

**

“Daniel?”

He turned and briefly waited for the principal to catch up to him. They continued on, walking in the direction of his classroom.

“How was your break?” he asked politely.

“Good. Yours?” 

The truthful answer was, of course, debatable. There were enough good things going on in their lives now to bring some happiness. But it didn’t mean that Harrison’s absence over the holidays was easy to ignore. On top of that, there’d been the awkward sympathy from Jira over Liam that just underscored how very single Daniel was. But that wasn’t the kind of answer expected for a rhetorical question.

“Just fine,” Daniel said. 

“So,” she continued, moving onto the real reason she had called out to him, “did you hear Patty Johnson had a heart attack?”

“No!” Daniel looked at her in some surprise. Patty was the oldest history teacher in the department, but she was hardly _old_ and she had always seemed in great shape. “Is she OK?”

The principal shrugged. “It was a massive one, but she survived. She’ll be out for a while. We had to hire a long-term sub. Can you help get him settled? Look out a bit for him?”

“Absolutely.”

Daniel both regretted and congratulated himself for that answer when he walked into Patty’s classroom between the first and second periods to introduce himself. The man standing behind the desk looked a little stressed, but he also looked – if Daniel squinted – just a bit like Harrison had so many years ago, when he first met him. Enough like him to make Daniel pause. Different enough to make him snap out of his surprise sooner rather than later. 

He was very, very young, and Daniel wondered just how long he’d been out of college. _Too young_ , a voice in the back of his head said, shocking him into realizing he’d been thinking about offering more than just professional advice. If he were completely honest, it was the same kind of feeling he had when he first met Liam, back when he was still a green teacher. It was all too damn confusing. 

“Hi,” he finally forced himself to say.

The man looked up at him, a smile growing on his face when he saw Daniel. He thought about Harrison grinning at him across the dinner table for so many years, as Jira talked excitedly about her day. He thought about the bashful smiles Liam tried to hide whenever Daniel flirted with him. He thought about how he just wanted something simple and easy, for a change. He thought about how long it had been since someone touched him (10 weeks, 4 days, and he could still hear the sounds of pleasure Liam had made).

No one was saying he had to marry the guy. But he _did_ deserve something nice.

“I’m Daniel Calder,” he said, walking further into the room. 

**

Liam didn’t exactly know what he was doing anymore. He’d had dinner with Evan a couple nights ago, kissed him just outside his front door, but didn’t invite him in. He wanted to say he was playing hard to get, but if he were being totally honest, it was mostly because the last guy he let inside his home and his heart was Daniel.

Which might explain why he was walking down the hall with two cups of coffee. Both of them had let their tradition slide as they were figuring out the new nuances of their relationship. Liam wondered what messages he’d be sending with this gesture. He wondered if they were the messages he wanted to be sending. He wondered if things would ever feel natural and normal between them again.

He shook his head to clear it of those kinds of thoughts as he neared Daniel’s classroom. He breathed in and out slowly and deeply, clearing his throat softly before finding the courage to continue on.

And stopped in his tracks when he made it to the door and saw that Daniel wasn’t alone. The young guy, the one covering for Patty, was in there, and the two of them were standing far closer to each other than Liam had ever dared to with Daniel. They both were sipping from coffee mugs as they talked, paying attention to only each other. Liam’s face fell at the expression on Daniel’s. Even more than the fact that coffee was _their_ thing, that was – that was _Liam’s_ expression. Long before he knew what it was like to kiss Daniel, he knew what it was like to be at the receiving end of that.

Liam ducked his head in confusion and pain and resentment. He walked away before the other two spotted him, pausing just long enough by the drinking fountain to dump the mug he had poured for Daniel. When he arrived back to his own room, he put his own mug on his desk and pulled out his phone. 

It only took him a moment to find Evan’s name and another moment to send him the message. 

Evan replied about an hour later, agreeing to Liam’s suggestion of dinner that evening. And after that dinner, when they made it back to Liam’s place, he invited Evan in.

**

It was a sad fact of life that as much as Liam would have loved to enjoy spring break too, it was actually the perfect time for him to catch up and prepare for the last big push of the year. The school was _dead_ , with no students obviously and, judging by the cars in the lot, only one or two staff members. He’d been there for hours, grading student work from the last several weeks and occasionally replying to Evan’s texts.

Around 3, Evan himself showed up.

“What are you doing here?” Liam asked, smiling as he put aside his work and stood to greet him.

Much to his surprise, Evan closed the distance between them, even pushing Liam back into the wall beside his desk. Liam raised his eyebrows in anticipation, not to mention pleasure at the feel of Evan’s body against his, the weight of it holding him captive. 

“What are you doing?” he repeated, this time in a murmur. 

He really should scold him, push him away, something. But there was no one there to catch them, anyway, and it had been a long day. Liam deserved a break. 

“Missed you,” Evan murmured, finally leaning in and catching Liam in a kiss. 

Liam sighed and deepened it quickly. But soon enough, Evan broke away to start nuzzling and nibbling at his neck, having discovered fairly early on exactly how erogenous Liam found that. Liam moaned, sinking a bit and letting Evan hold him up. Yet, moments later, he was thrust into a memory of the feel of Daniel’s lips and tongue and teeth traveling over the same areas of skin, what felt like ages ago. 

But Liam was used to this, used to trying to make things work with another guy, no matter what he felt for Daniel. Liam opened his eyes, knowing that re-centering himself, seeing for himself that it was someone else, someone _not_ Daniel, making him feel that way, would help.

It usually did, anyway. But this time, when Liam opened his eyes, he actually did see Daniel. He stood frozen in the hall just outside the door, staring back at him. He looked ill, or mortified, or upset, or God, maybe even jealous. This – this Liam was _not_ used to, and he couldn’t look away. The combined arousal from Evan’s actions and from Daniel’s piercing stare was overwhelming, and it gave him a heady sort of feeling, like he held some sort of power that he hadn’t felt in a long time, not when it came to things like this. He lifted his hands, placing one between Evan’s shoulders and one on his lumbar and pulled him closer, the same way that Daniel had once pulled Liam closer. He exhaled, shuddering slightly with pleasure, at the enhanced contact, and he licked his lips, but it was Daniel’s name he mouthed. 

Daniel turned and walked away. Then, it was Liam’s turn to feel mortified. 

“OK. OK,” he said, finding the strength to push Evan away.

Evan groaned in disappointment, leaning in again, but Liam shook his head.

“No. You gotta go. I work here.”

“Tonight?”

Liam hesitated, feeling like his heart was breaking all over again and wondering how they got here. Feeling too afraid to figure that out or risk it all again. 

“Tonight.”

**

Daniel was old-fashioned enough to not ask someone out over text, but desperate enough – or vengeful enough, maybe – to seek Marcus out the very first opportunity he had their first day back after spring break. He waited until all the students left the room, then closed the distance between them, encouraged by Marcus’ smile in greeting.

“Good break?”

“Yes,” Marcus confirmed. “I actually got ahead a bit, so I think I’ll be able to make it through the rest of the year without losing my sanity.”

Daniel smiled weakly, feeling sort of like he was about to puke. He supposed asking someone out never got easier.

“So…you might have time for dinner then? Friday, maybe.”

Marcus stopped whatever he’d been doing with the papers on his desk and looked up at Daniel. He sent him a glance tinged with more lust than anything else.

“Dinner? Seems a little excessive, doesn’t it?”

Daniel tilted his head curiously. “Hmm?”

Marcus smiled again, almost predatorily as he rounded the desk and sat on the edge of it. He was close enough his knees ended up framing Daniel slightly, almost seeming to trap him. 

“I’m inexperienced at teaching,” he explained. “But not at life. Not at…this.”

Daniel worked his jaw, trying to find a response. 

“We both know there’s no happily ever after in our future,” Marcus continued. “Best we can hope for is maybe…a few happy endings.”

Daniel felt himself blushing. He was – not used to someone being so forward. Harrison had always been one for romance and wooing rather than straight-up seduction, and Liam, well, Liam hadn’t made a move for five years and even then it was Daniel who – Daniel shut down those thoughts fast, focusing back on the man who was _there_ in front of him, _wanting_ him. Even then, he felt entirely speechless. 

“So,” Marcus continued, pointedly dropping his gaze to below Daniel’s belt. “Drinks at my place? Tonight?”

All Daniel could do was nod. 

They’d only made it through half their drinks before Marcus was pushing him back onto the couch and undressing him. Daniel gasped for breath, feeling a bit swept along in it all. Feeling uncertain and guilty, like he was being unfaithful, in a way he’d never had with Liam. He wasn’t really sure what that meant, and he didn’t want to think about it, so he redoubled his focus and attention on the now-naked body moving against his.

**

Some of Jira’s favorite moments in life lately involved getting to observe the various ways all her new family members interacted and connected with each other. That afternoon, at her graduation party (her graduation party!), she couldn’t help but smile when she saw Tia, Miles and Scoot clearly gossiping about something in the den. She walked over to join them, dropping onto the couch next to Tia.

“So…whatcha talking about?”

The three of them glanced at each other somewhat awkwardly. Finally, Tia spoke up, sounding like she was pretending to change the subject and Jira realized almost immediately that she actually wasn’t.

“Did you invite any of your teachers today?”

Jira nodded. “Ah, that. I did not invite the ‘colleague with benefits’ if that’s who you’re curious about.”

Miles did a truly epic spit take with his sip of wine, and Jira couldn’t help but laugh. Scoot simply stared at her incredulously.

“You know about that?”

“You’ve met my dad, right? The more he tries to keep something secret, the worse he is at it.”

“Are you OK with it?” Tia asked, concerned.

Jira shrugged. “It’s not like it’s anything serious. If it were, he actually _would_ try to talk to me about it. I’m OK with it as long as he’s happy.”

“I sense a but,” Miles observed.

“He’s…having a lot of sex,” Jira said, shuddering slightly, “but…he’s not _happy_.”

She stood again, flashing them all a sly smirk. “So, that’s why, yes, I did invite one of my teachers.”

She winked and walked away.

**

Liam rolled his eyes at himself for the nerves he felt. Steeling himself, he cleared his throat, ran a hand down his torso to smooth his tie, and walked towards the kitchen Jira had pointed out after she accepted his congrats and card. He had been so touched when she invited him to the party and, frankly, he was sick with longing for Daniel. Not like that even – just his friendship. He was pretty sure the ship of “more than that” had long since sailed, but he wasn’t going to give up their friendship without a fight, he decided.

So…he went to the party. 

Daniel was alone in the kitchen, preparing another tray of snacks. Liam watched him for a moment, a small smile hinting at the corners of his mouth. Then, maybe he made a sound or Daniel just noticed another person’s presence. He looked up, faintly startled, and then simply stared at Liam.

“Hi,” Liam said, rather stupidly. 

“I – I didn’t know Jira had invited you.”

Liam felt his stomach plummet and a strange whooshing noise filled his ears. “Oh,” he forced out. “I…can go.”

“No!” Daniel closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Liam sighed, then shrugged apologetically. He stepped closer to the table. “Sorry, I – things are weird between us,” he blurted, before he could think himself out of it, “and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“I don’t either,” Daniel said. “I don’t – I don’t like it when we fight.”

The callback was maybe an attempt to joke or lighten the tension, but frankly it was the worst thing he could have said. All Liam could remember was that evening in his office, when he confessed his feelings to Daniel, if a little obtusely. All he could remember was the way Daniel had looked at him, how awkward he became before escaping.

How he took that confession and cheapened it, took advantage of it to make himself feel better. 

“I can’t…” Liam looked up at the ceiling, blinking quickly. “I can’t get past it. I can’t – trust you. I know I said I can’t get angry, or shouldn’t, but I can’t help it. You _hurt_ me.”

Daniel inhaled sharply. “I don’t know how else to apologize,” he finally whispered. 

Liam put his face in his hands, muffling a groan. He felt so upset, at himself more than Daniel. “It doesn’t matter,” he declared, lifting his head again. “It doesn’t. Because it’s in the past, right?”

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed bitterly. He nodded, looking down at the food in front of him. “Yeah. You’ve found yourself another sad, single dad to take care of.”

It felt almost like a physical blow, and Liam’s breath shuddered as he reeled back. Tears sprung to his eyes and he shook his head, trying to respond. “Luckily for you, a teacher _half your age_ came along to make you feel better,” he finally managed to say. 

Daniel turned away, tossing a utensil into the sink with a clatter. 

“That’s the way you like them, isn’t it?” Liam continued, hating himself for it. “Young and unable to hide how much they…” He nearly literally bit his tongue, stopping before he revealed too much. 

Daniel faced him again, his face closed off. “No, I’m just tired of the ones who claim to want something and then run away from it.”

“Fuck you,” he hissed.

“That’s what caused our problems, isn’t it?” 

Liam threw his hands in the air, turned away and walked out of the kitchen. Perhaps what hurt most of all was Daniel didn’t call out to stop him. He ran a hand down his face quickly, trying to calm down before he ran into someone. He wondered if anyone heard them, which would really be the cherry on the shit sundae. 

Well, he guessed technically he fought before their friendship ended completely. That wasn’t quite what he had in mind, though. 

He avoided most people as he headed for the front door, only to be stopped by Jira before he could ultimately escape. The way her face went from happy hopefulness to confusion to disappointment made him wonder just what she had been trying to do by inviting him – and how much his own face revealed it hadn’t worked. 

He stepped closer, pulling her into a one-armed hug. “Congratulations on graduating,” he murmured. “Good luck in college.”

“Mr. Bhatt?” she asked, turning as he let her go, walked past her and opened the front door. 

“I’ll miss you,” he said, unable to look back at her as he did.


	3. Chapter 3

Jira stood staring at the door that Mr. Bhatt had just closed behind him. Finally, she was able to move again. She turned around, spotting her dad walk out of the kitchen. He was carrying a tray of snacks and handed them off to Jess before moving along to talk to Riley and Matthew a bit. Someone who didn’t know him well wouldn’t have seen anything wrong. He was doing his best to be a welcoming host, a proud father, but Jira could see the tension in his shoulders and how his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. She glanced over at Tia just in time to notice her share a meaningful eyebrow raise with Scoot.

A hand landed on her shoulder and Jira turned. It was Miles, who pulled her closer. 

“You tried to do a good thing for your dad,” he observed. “But it’s not your responsibility to pull his head out his ass.”

“I don’t know why they can’t just…” Jira observed quietly, shrugging when she couldn’t figure out how to finish the sentence. 

Miles thought a moment, and then replied, “Your dad’s problem is he hasn’t dated in 20 years, and he has to learn how to work things out with someone new. And I think that’s, in a way, Mr. Bhatt’s problem with the whole thing too.” Jira looked up at him, but he didn’t look back at her. She followed his gaze and realized he was looking at Scoot. “Take it from me,” Miles continued. “It’s hard to be the new guy after a love and a loss like that.”

**

“I always thought it was cruel to make the younger classes go to school for a couple weeks after the seniors graduate.”

Daniel glanced up, smiling at Marcus as he walked into the classroom at the end of the last day of school. “Perks of senior year. Don’t have to make up any snow days either.”

“So unfair,” Marcus said, shaking his head.

He was to the desk by then, and he sat on the edge of it. Daniel felt hesitant, even uncomfortable. Before, he would have moved his chair closer, maybe leaned an elbow on his desk as he looked up at Marcus. Now, he felt the need to put some distance between them. The _brawl_ with Liam had affected him more than he wanted to admit, and he’d avoided Marcus since then. It turns out he had noticed, at least based on his next statement.

“Haven’t really seen you since graduation.”

“Yeah. I’ve – been busy. End of the school year. Jira’s getting ready for college.”

“OK. I’ll accept that.”

Daniel furrowed his brow quickly, trying to decide if he should play innocent. They’d always been very adamant and honest about what their relationship was about, where it would go – or not go, actually. But he still felt vaguely guilty – for avoiding him, maybe, or maybe just because he was beginning to realize he had been using him like he had used Liam, for similar if not the exact same reasons. Was it any better because Marcus knew he was being used? 

Before he could respond, movement in the hall caught his eye, and he glanced past Marcus to see Liam standing in the hall. He had clearly been walking past when he saw the two of them. Daniel felt a pointless hope that he’d actually been coming to talk to him. Liam stared a moment longer, until Daniel sensed Marcus turn to look as well. That was when Liam dropped his gaze and continued walking. 

He forced himself to look back at Marcus, struggling against the urge to apologize for something. For everything. Marcus looked down at him, a tiny smirk on his face. 

“So, I got a job. A real, full-time one.” 

“Really?”

“Yep. In Champaign.”

“Oh.” Daniel shook his head at his own reaction. “Congratulations!” he said much more enthusiastically. 

“I’m moving pretty soon. So…” He laughed self-deprecatingly. “Bye, I guess.”

Daniel stood, not quite sure how to handle this not-really-a-break-up. They stared at each other a moment, then Marcus laughed again. 

“I’d offer one more goodbye romp in the sack, but I don’t think you really want that.” 

Daniel opened and closed his mouth, unable to respond. Marcus didn’t wait for him to come up with something. Instead, he leaned in and kissed Daniel quickly, chastely. He stood and started to walk away from the desk. Then he turned and faced Daniel again.

“Figure it out with Bhatt, would you? You deserve it.”

“Huh?”

“Inexperienced at _teaching_ , remember?” Marcus replied, grinning. “Not at this.”

**

Halfway through summer vacation, Liam was beginning to finally get back on an even keel. Or he told himself that anyway. Maybe he was just getting better at ignoring things, now that he didn’t have to see Daniel every day. Didn’t have to see him with Marcus. Didn’t have to see how _easily_ he was replaced as a colleague, friend, lover. Daniel hadn’t had anywhere near the same struggle with moving on from him as he had with moving on from Harrison, apparently.

Just then, he was having dinner with Evan. It was meant to be special, he could tell. Romantic, even, and he wondered what exactly Evan was planning, or if they were supposed to be moving to a different stage in their relationship. He wondered if that’s what he wanted.

No, he didn’t wonder that. He knew he didn’t want that. He wanted Daniel. But he couldn’t have Daniel anymore. Maybe at one time, but not after everything that had happened. Not after they hurt each other, after he’d rejected him and let him get away. Not when they couldn’t even speak to each other anymore without hurling insults and jabs. Not when they both decided to seek someone else out rather than fix things between them. So, he had to move on. He could do worse than Evan, and so he’d do his best to want something more with him. 

It was over dessert when Evan played his hand. The question – whether Liam wanted to meet Max – was not really what he’d been expecting, and he said no before he could stop himself. At the expression on Evan’s face, Liam shook his head and tried to salvage the flub.

“I _want_ to, of course. But don’t you think I should wait to be in his life until we know where this is headed?”

Evan was silent for a while. Eventually, he placed his silverware down, wiped his napkin across his mouth, and then finally fixed Liam with a rather…interrogatory…look. Liam suddenly felt incredibly nervous. 

“Where do _you_ think this is headed?”

“I…don’t know,” Liam replied honestly. He’d been far more comfortable just going along with the flow, letting Evan take the lead in just about everything until now. It was nice to not have to…worry about things like this. “I – I like you. I…”

After a long pause, Evan spoke again, but his statement unbalanced Liam entirely. “You’re in Jira’s life. You even told me you went to her graduation party.”

“Jira?” Liam stared in surprise, then shook his head. “What is that supposed to mean? She’s my stu – ”

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

“Who? You – you mean Daniel?”

“You talk about a lot of your coworkers, you know? You talk about Jira, more than any other student. You were arrested for them, even. But you never talk about him. Ever.”

“Evan – ”

“Have you fucked him?”

Liam flushed with embarrassment. He looked around the restaurant to see if anyone heard the question, if anyone was listening to them. Finally, in an attempt to end the conversation, he turned critical. “Jealousy is not a good look on you.”

Evan nodded, backing away. “So that’s a yes.”

Liam leaned forward, speaking angrily yet quietly. “He fucked me up actually, for years, and it’s not something I really want to talk about.”

“Fine.”

The rest of dinner was silent and tense, and they ended it as soon as possible. As they made their way out of the restaurant, they walked at quite a distance from each other until they stepped into the still warm evening air.

Several long seconds passed, and finally Liam worked up the courage to face Evan. Evan was staring at the ground; Liam tried to say _something_ , but could only make a strangled sound. Evan looked at him, finally exhaling and giving him a small, sad smile. He stepped close enough to kiss Liam lightly.

“You’re a nice guy, Liam, but you really need to not string people along. Figure out your damn life so you don’t keep putting everyone involved through this crap.”

Liam inhaled, ready to argue before he realized there was nothing to argue over anyway. Eventually, he just nodded. Evan turned away then, walking away and leaving Liam alone. It didn’t really hurt as much as he felt it should. It felt more like he was ready to finally just _deal_ with it all, and had simply been waiting for someone to force him to.

**

Liam spent the rest of the summer working on his insecurities, on forcing himself to remember what kind of person Daniel really was rather than the kind of person he was painting him as, on remembering and reevaluating their conversations to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. By the time the first day of school rolled around, he was desperate to see Daniel, talk to him, try to fix things. He didn’t know where Daniel was on the whole thing, but he hoped he at least missed him enough to become friends again.

Liam was starting to accept, though, that _just friends_ was never going to be enough for him.

He was incredibly happy at the prospect of seeing him again, yet incredibly nervous too. He fought the urge to puke, or turn around and run away, as he walked into the school building and headed towards the staff room. He knew Daniel well enough to know he’d find him hovering around the coffee pot this early on day one.

He wasn’t wrong, and thankfully, the lounge was at least temporarily empty of other teachers. Daniel stood at the sink, his back to the door, and Liam swallowed, taking a moment to enjoy the view. 

“Hi,” he said. 

Daniel jumped, a spoon clattering into the sink. He turned to face Liam with an apprehensive expression. Liam took some hope from that. He took even more hope from Daniel’s next move, which was to turn slightly to the side and pick up two coffee mugs. He stepped closer, holding one of the cups out to Liam.

Liam ducked his head, smiling in relief, in joy, as he took the cup and drank a small sip. Just the way he liked it. 

“How was your summer?” Daniel asked. 

Liam struggled for an answer that wasn’t _I obsessed over you_. “Nothing exciting,” he finally said. “Yours?”

“Ah, busy. At least at the end. Jira’s all moved into the dorms.”

“She excited?” Liam asked, turning to lead Daniel out of the lounge and in the direction of their classrooms.

“Doesn’t begin to cover it. I don’t think she’s been this worked up over a new school year since Kindergarten.”

Liam smiled. The topic of Jira’s new college life lasted until they arrived at his door, and he was happy to see Daniel slow down to continue their conversation. 

“What does your year look like?” Daniel asked. “Gatsby again?”

“No! I convinced them to let me teach a class on American writers of color. So, actually that was one part of the summer that was fun – planning that.”

“A new prep. That will keep you busy.”

Liam paused. This was a perfect opportunity. “Yeah,” he said, feeling sort of breathless. “So, it’s a good thing they let me quit the school board.”

Daniel looked up quickly. He stared at Liam, his gaze piercing and curious. “When did that happen?”

“Over the summer,” Liam replied, suddenly realizing he was holding his free hand over his stomach in some kind of protective gesture. “Not just because of the class. I – I had previous commitments that I couldn’t ignore any longer. Things I wanted to be a part of more. Like, ah, Equality Chicago, and…”

He trailed off, unable to continue and hoping he conveyed what he’d meant to. He was rattled enough to have no clue what Daniel was feeling, but judging by his expression he was definitely feeling something. Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but that was exactly when the warning bell rang. 

They both looked up towards the loudspeaker in the corner of the hall, and then towards the distant sound of students streaming out of the lunch room where they were penned in before being released in the morning. Liam sighed, then faced Daniel. He seemed, maybe, disappointed as well that they’d been interrupted. 

Daniel exhaled, then smiled weakly. He nodded at Liam, before turning away. Liam let his head fall back, somewhat in self-recrimination. It was a start, he supposed, but he didn’t know where it would lead. 

Later that afternoon, when he came back from a library run to discover a fresh cup of coffee on his desk, steam rising from it and indicating how recently it had been placed there, he smiled. It seemed like it was leading somewhere promising.

**

Daniel walked very, very slowly out of the school at the end of the first day. He had spotted Liam packing up as he passed his room, but he didn’t want it to seem obvious that he waited for him. He felt like he had already revealed too much by fetching not one, but two cups of coffee. But maybe it wasn’t too much, providing he wasn’t over-interpreting Liam’s comments about the school board.

He hoped he wasn’t. God, he missed him so much. Sometime over the summer, all the _mess_ , all the hurt and jealousy and anxiety, just kind of…went away. He wanted Liam in his life _somehow_ , and he didn’t want to continue misunderstanding each other. 

“One day down,” came a voice behind him, just as Daniel hit the front door. Daniel smiled, turning and waiting before going down the stairs.

“How’d it go?”

“Fine. The freshmen get younger every year.”

Daniel laughed. “Yes, they do.”

“How was your day?”

“Good.” He hesitated, trying to find a way to get away from small talk and at least _hint_ at more important things. “Ah, Patty’s back. She seems to be doing well.”

After a short but noticeable pause, Liam replied, “I saw her.”

“Yeah, it’s – it’s good for me, too…to have experienced colleagues. Less work, fewer distractions from where I really want to spend my time and effort.”

Daniel found the bravery to look at Liam and see how he responded to that. Liam didn’t say anything and he stared straight ahead, but the small smile he couldn’t quite stop showed he understood.

**

A month into the school year, things were still moving at a glacial pace. Maybe that was OK, though. Because at least they were still moving. They were back to their coffee routine, and at least two afternoons a week, they walked out together, lingering for longer and longer periods at the foot of the stairs. They chatted mostly, still clearly too hesitant to talk about anything meaningful or real. But Liam noticed the way that Daniel had started to stand a little closer – not as close as he had stood to Marcus, but far closer than they ever had before. He noticed the way Daniel would look at his mouth, and purse his own lips in the teasing way that always indicated he was flirting, and find reasons to reach out and touch Liam. He noticed the way that he himself responded, beaming and blushing and laughing, opening up more and more, like some kind of flower turning toward the sun or something equally poetic and ridiculous.

Liam knew himself well enough to know that when he got metaphorical, there was pretty much no hope for him anymore. He was at some kind of breaking point.

But maybe Daniel was too, because that afternoon, he made a move.

“So, the gala is coming up. I’m kind of looking forward to going to it and _not_ being the center of attention this year.”

Liam’s heart started to pound. He looked at the ground. Just as he was about to hint that he’d never actually been to the gala, in case Daniel was looking for a plus-one, Daniel spoke again.

“There’s a planning meeting Friday evening,” he said, just a touch awkwardly. “If you wanted to…”

Liam smiled. It maybe wasn’t the invitation that he had been hoping for, but it might just lead to it eventually. “Sure. Where? When?”

“Ah, my house, actually. Eight.”

“Oh,” Liam said. Daniel’s house. He’d been there exactly two times. When Daniel asked for something real to happen between them. And when they fought and destroyed all hope of that, or so he’d thought at the time. He shook his head, clearing it of all such thoughts. “OK.”

Daniel smiled widely. “Great.”


	4. Chapter 4

The group was small, the board having long since learned that in the early stages of planning, the fewer voices, the better. Daniel could tell that some people were wondering why Liam had made the cut, and he could tell that Scoot and Miles knew exactly _why_ Liam was there. He tried not to blush at the knowing glances Miles shot him occasionally, whenever he asked Liam’s opinion during the course of the evening. 

Look, he just wanted to make sure that Liam was going to enjoy his first gala. And, yes, he might have already been planning on inviting him. He just had to work up the courage. 

Finally, the meeting was over, and the board members were leaving. Daniel was more than a little thrilled at the not-quite-obvious way that Liam was taking his sweet time getting ready to go. He was less than thrilled at the way Miles and Scoot were doing the same. Finally, once everyone else had left, Daniel focused all his attention on getting them the hell out. 

At the front door, Miles leaned closer and hugged Daniel. “Have a good night,” he told him, with a hardly subtle meaning. Daniel tried not to blush.

When it was Scoot’s turn, he beckoned and Daniel bent down. After kissing his cheek, Scoot muttered in his ear, “Don’t overthink it, Danny. You deserve happiness and love.”

Daniel straightened, nodding in understanding if not quite belief yet. He shared one final goodbye with his old friends, and closed the door behind them. Suddenly, it was just him and Liam. He swallowed nervously and turned to face him. 

Liam was holding up the half-empty tray of snacks. “Kitchen?” he asked. 

“Ah. Yes. Please.” 

He supposed cleaning up was as good an excuse as any to keep him there a little longer, until Daniel could figure out what to say.

Liam nodded, turning towards the kitchen. Daniel stepped over and grabbed the wine bottles, then followed Liam down the hall. 

“There’s still some left of this red,” he announced, once he arrived. “Want to help me finish it?”

Liam grinned, turning away as if he wanted to hide or downplay his reaction. “Yeah, all right.”

Rather than try to determine whose glass was whose, Daniel pulled two more from the shelf and poured. He gave Liam a little more than he took for himself, and he wondered if it looked like he was trying to get him drunk. He smirked a bit at the thought. If it worked, he’d cop to it. 

He put the empty bottle down and picked up his glass. Liam did the same and they clinked glasses before drinking. Daniel put his free hand on the counter, sliding it along until he was angled closer to Liam. In return, Liam turned into him slightly. He stared at his glass, clearly a bit – something. Nervous, maybe. Daniel would take that, though, because it was better than angry or uncomfortable or seemingly indifferent, which was how Liam had been in so many past conversations. 

Daniel took another sip, swallowed, then cleared his throat. “So, what do you think – Kevin’s suggestion of a cello quartet, or Michael’s nephew’s mariachi band?”

Liam laughed. “Can I vote neither? Can’t imagine either would play enough bops.”

Daniel grinned, lowering to his elbows as he looked at Liam. “Are you a good dancer?”

“I don’t know if you could say that,” Liam admitted. “You?”

“No,” Daniel replied, laughing. “But I enjoy it anyway.”

Liam glanced up, nervous and hopeful, and Daniel realized it was the perfect opportunity to invite him to be his date to the gala, so they could dance together. He was so close to doing it, he could _taste_ the words on his tongue. But he felt frozen. Because the last time he’d asked Liam to a party, everything between them fell apart. 

And so the moment passed, and the conversation turned a bit difficult as it meandered around everything that remained unspoken between them. Eventually, Liam finished off his drink and started to make noises about leaving. Daniel nodded, trying to hide his disappointment, and followed him to the door. He unlocked the deadbolt, as Liam pulled on his jacket. It was the same jacket that he’d worn on their date so long ago. Daniel could remember vividly how the denim had felt under his hands during those first, sweet kisses, and then later as they rushed to take it off him. 

Daniel’s hand drifted towards the doorknob, but then he turned to face Liam instead. Liam stared back, gnawing at his lower lip. 

“Fuck it,” he said, darting forward to kiss Daniel.

In some kind of reversal of their first time, Daniel _mmph_ ed as Liam pushed him back into his door. He recovered quickly, though, lifting his hands to bury them in Liam’s hair. He kissed him back with everything he had, not sure if it was his last opportunity to get it right or the first night of the rest of his life. At that exact moment, he didn’t really care either. All he cared about was having Liam in his arms again. 

Daniel tore Liam’s jacket off, dropping it to the floor, and then he pushed at him, but never separated, following closely and nearly tripping over Liam’s feet as he led him blindly through the house. Close to the couch, Daniel lost his shirt, not entirely sure if it had been him at the bottom or Liam at the top who undid the last of the buttons, and halfway down the hall, he kicked his shoes off just before Liam struggled out of his own. The see-sawing in height differences at that made it amusingly difficult to keep kissing, but Daniel had no intention of stopping. 

They soon hit into the door that would lead up to the bedroom. It was at that moment that Liam forced a break. He ended their kiss, resting his head against the door as he struggled for breath. Daniel stared down at his wet, swollen lips, yearning to kiss them again. Liam held him off just enough to stop him, though, and Daniel looked up at his eyes instead. The expression in them…God.

“Why did we wait so long to do this again?” Liam wondered in a whisper.

Daniel shook his head. He had no answer to that or to his own question. “How did we wait so long?”

With a growl, Liam pulled Daniel to him again, even while Daniel reached around, grabbing the doorknob and pulling. “You gotta – you gotta move,” he muttered between kisses. 

Liam finally got the hint, pushing off the door enough so Daniel could open it. They squeezed through once the opening was wide enough, not bothering to stop kissing again. Which meant they only made it up maybe four steps before Liam tripped and fell onto the stairs and Daniel followed, landing on him with an _oof_. 

Liam laughed, the sound filling Daniel with joy. But the humor didn’t last long, as Daniel used the opportunity to reach down to cup and fondle Liam’s growing hardness. Liam groaned, working quickly at the buttons of his shirt and stripping it off. He wrapped his now bare arms around Daniel’s naked torso and pulled him closer. They moved together, rubbing against each other in _all_ the right places. Daniel fumbled blindly and fruitlessly with the button and zipper of Liam’s pants, but when Liam’s hands slid down to Daniel’s ass, he gave that up to instead forcefully thrust against him.

“Ow!” Liam exclaimed, breaking away. “Ow, ow. OK. These stairs are carpeted but that doesn’t make them – ”

“Right,” Daniel agreed, nodding. “Right.”

He stood quickly, holding his hand out to help Liam to his feet. Liam took it, standing and then immediately turning to hurry up the stairs. He didn’t let go of Daniel’s hand, making Daniel laugh as he practically ran to keep up – as much as that was possible considering his erection, anyway. When they reached the bed, Liam let go, turning around and falling onto the mattress. He landed on his back with a bounce, even as he moved his hands to his pants. Daniel felt vaguely frozen as he watched Liam contort and push off his jeans and underwear. Soon he was completely naked, his cock jutting up and commanding Daniel’s attention.

“Daniel,” Liam said, faux-stern but far more amused. 

Daniel shook his head, hurriedly removed the rest of his clothes, and practically prowled onto the bed. He lowered down, making them both moan and sigh and gasp as their bodies came together and found the rhythm they’d almost _stupidly_ given up altogether.

**

Despite having thoroughly exhausted each other, Liam couldn’t quite fall asleep. Maybe it was due to being in an unfamiliar bed. Maybe it was due to the desire to listen to Daniel’s slow and even breaths as he slept.

Maybe it was because he was afraid if he let himself pass out, he’d eventually wake up and realize it was a dream. 

Maybe he was worried this was the last time he’d get to be in bed with Daniel and he didn’t want to waste a single moment of it unconscious. 

Because as much as he wanted to believe this was the start of something, he realized – once the heat of passion died down – that they’d made the same mistake as before. They succumbed to that passion, rushing into sex without talking about what they wanted from each other, what it all meant. Hints aside, Liam still didn’t know if Daniel had arrived at the same conclusion as Liam had regarding their future potential. 

It was Liam’s fault, this time. He had made the first move, nearly pouncing on Daniel, and while Daniel had responded more than enthusiastically… Liam didn’t know if he could survive it again, if it ended up failing. Maybe it would be better to leave now, on his terms. Besides, they weren’t _together_ , and so – well, etiquette probably suggested he shouldn’t spend the whole night. As much as he’d like to. 

Liam sighed, taking one or two more moments to savor it. And then he rolled away from Daniel, who made a surprisingly good pillow, to sit up. He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling almost as if his heart was physically aching. And then he bent down to reach for his pants that had been thrown on the ground several hours ago. 

When he had one foot in the leg, an arm suddenly came around his waist, Daniel’s palm and fingers stretching out over his stomach. 

“Stay,” Daniel murmured, tired but clear. “Just…stay.”

Liam hesitated, but his heart decided well before his brain was able to overthink anything. He nodded, pulling his jeans off again and dropping them back on the floor. He rolled to face Daniel even as he lowered back onto the mattress. Daniel repositioned his arm, keeping it wrapped around Liam. He pulled him closer, and Liam hummed in contentment as he buried his head in the groove by Daniel’s neck. He kissed the skin just under his lips, smiling when Daniel slid one hand up his back.

Neither one spoke again, and Liam finally fell asleep to the gentle rise and fall of Daniel’s chest. The next thing he knew was the feel of Daniel’s fingers stroking through his hair, the soft press of dry lips against skin already being warmed by the rising sun, the thickness of Daniel’s cock as it lined up against his own morning hardness. Liam shifted closer, moaning in anticipation even if he couldn’t quite open his eyes yet.

“Morning,” Daniel murmured. “Sleep well?”

“Very.”

Daniel sighed, then turned his head to suck a kiss on Liam’s neck, sending a jolt of lust straight through his body. 

“What are your plans for the day?” Daniel asked, voice muffled.

He pulled Liam closer at the same time, and Liam lost all power of speech and the ability to think for a moment. His breathing turned rough and shaky, and they rocked together a few beats before he could finally reply, albeit in a slurred-with-pleasure sort of way.

“Changing ‘em right now. Whatchu have in mind?” 

“Make you breakfast,” Daniel replied quickly, even as the atmosphere in the room shifted from sleepy and slow to something much more deliberate and promising. “’Sfar as I got.”

“Mmm. Breakfast _in bed_ sounds good,” Liam said, unable to stop a predatory smile as he planned his next move. 

He pushed Daniel to his back and started kissing his way down his body, stopping – although not for long – to focus attention on his collarbone, his nipple, his belly button, the path of hair down his stomach leading him ever closer. Above him, Daniel’s response had changed from a slightly confused _hmm?_ to increasingly loud and pleading _oh_ s. Below him, Daniel’s hips rocked, possibly involuntarily, and when Liam glanced down, past the leaking cock he couldn’t wait to get to, he saw Daniel’s toes curling and one hand clutching and pulling at the sheet. 

With a grin, Liam took Daniel into his mouth, reaching one hand up blindly to find Daniel’s other one as Daniel groaned out a final _oh fuck_ before going completely nonverbal. They clasped hands, resting them on Daniel’s chest, and Daniel squeezed his fingers tightly every time Liam switched from a slow, deep downstroke to strong suction on the way back up.

**

Jira let herself in the back door – not only was it closer than the front door to the stop she got off at, but it also was closer to the basement door. She dropped her laundry bag, planning to bring it downstairs later. Sure, she could wash her clothes at the dorms, but home was cheaper and no assholes would dump everything on the floor if she were two minutes late. Not to mention, she hadn’t seen her dad in a couple weeks and she missed him, not that she’d ever admit that to anyone except maybe him.

She walked through to the kitchen where she expected, by this time of the morning, he’d be eating a late breakfast and reading the news on his phone. There was no sign of life, though. She listened carefully and realized there seemed to be no activity anywhere in the house. He couldn’t possibly still be sleeping, could he? She turned, heading back towards the stairs, already planning on surprising him awake so she could tease him for his teenage-like sleep patterns. It seemed he was certainly enjoying some aspects of being an empty nester. 

The door to the stairs up to his room wasn’t quite latched and she pushed it open softly so as not to wake him too early. It took her a moment to notice the shirt drooping over the edge of the bottom step. She furrowed her brow. That wasn’t like him. She wondered if it had fallen out of his laundry basket and he hadn’t noticed. She started to lean down to pick it up and that’s when she heard…it. 

The knocking of the bedframe against the wall and the squeaking of the mattress were rhythmic, growing louder and faster by the second but not loud enough to cover the sound of skin slapping against skin. There was also heavy breathing and the occasional moan or wet slurp of a kiss. And then, a voice – one that sounded vaguely familiar but not enough that she could recognize it _in this context_. Whoever he was, his voice was rough and breathless as he gasped out her Dad’s name. 

Jira closed her eyes and grimaced, so disgusted she couldn’t even bother being upset for any other reason. Of all the things she never ever wanted to overhear. It wasn’t like she didn’t know her dad had a sex life (although she hadn’t known he had started seeing someone new). She didn’t need to _hear_ it. Despite that, she felt paralyzed, wanting to get out of there so badly, but horrifyingly unable to move, at least until she heard her _Dad’s_ voice. She didn’t think she’d ever heard him say the F word in her life, but he was basically chanting it now, sounding desperate, almost broken. Jira hurried out of the stairwell. She hadn’t made it far before one of them – she couldn’t and didn’t want to tell who – let out a strangled sort of shout that made her want to gag, and she picked up her pace.

She made it to the kitchen before she finally let out a shuddering breath. She shook herself in an attempt to clear the mental pictures that the sounds had produced. Gross. _Gross._ Then she sat at the counter to…wait, she guessed. 

She wondered who it was, who mattered so much to her dad that he’d brought him home, to his room that he had shared with her other dad. Although maybe that felt more significant to Jira than it did to him, and he just was grateful that he could bring someone home without worrying about her being there. Or maybe the truth was somewhere in between. 

Regardless, she sat at the counter, trying to force herself to forget the details of what she’d overheard. It was some ten, fifteen minutes later, that she heard sounds coming from the direction of her dad’s room again. At first, she was appalled (and frankly, surprised) at the thought that they were going at it _again_ , until she realized that they were actually coming downstairs. She braced herself, and just when she heard steps outside the kitchen, she called out.

“I’m in here, so I hope you’re both decent.” 

There was a noticeable pause, some whispering, and then her dad spoke louder. “Jira?”

“Obviously.”

“Uh…hi, punchkin,” he said, his voice dropping to a conversational volume as he finally made it into the kitchen. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. She wrinkled her nose and tried to pretend she didn’t notice he smelled like, well, she assumed that was what sex smelled like. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Laundry. And to say hi, of course.” At that exact moment, the other man walked into the room, looking terrified but like he was trying to hide it. Jira choked on her own spit at the shock and started coughing. She eventually regained control of herself. “Morning, Mr. Bhatt,” she greeted him. 

While she hadn’t quite gotten over her disgust (and small, private heartbreak), she was also suddenly filled with the urge to laugh. Not only was this whole situation so absurd, she was also ecstatic. She didn’t know who wanted this more, to be honest – her dad, Mr. Bhatt…or her. She knew they’d make each other so happy, if they could just stop messing everything up. 

“Good morning, Jira. How are you?” he asked awkwardly.

Jira watched with amusement as he stepped closer to the counter, gripping it nervously. He was looking down, unable to meet her eyes. She thought about teasing him even more, saying something like she wasn’t as good as he obviously was, that morning. But she was pretty sure he was about to die of embarrassment, and she cared about him too much to make this more difficult than it had to be. 

She settled for “Good. You?”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied. “Good.”

Jira pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek, doing her damnedest not to laugh. That was when her dad rescued Mr. Bhatt from the conversation. He gave her a significant look, before focusing on Mr. Bhatt and saying something about breakfast. But Mr. Bhatt shook his head quickly. 

“I should get going.”

Her dad seemed a bit confused, a bit hurt, and Jira wondered exactly how new this was, if they were still so uncertain with this part of it. She hoped it was just because of her and not because they were still not quite understanding each other. At any rate, she followed quietly as her dad accompanied Mr. Bhatt to the front door, staying just far enough back to be unobtrusive, and she watched. 

Mr. Bhatt bent down for a second, grabbing a jacket off the ground. As he pulled it on, he faced her dad. Jira could see the expression on his face, but she couldn’t read it; she wondered if her dad could. Mr. Bhatt ducked his head, stepping closer to her dad and pressing two knuckles to his stomach. 

“We should…talk soon,” he suggested. 

Her dad nodded, and it sounded like he might have said something, but it was too quiet for Jira to hear. After a beat of hesitation, her dad leaned forward and Mr. Bhatt took the hint, meeting him in the middle for a kiss. They followed that up with a couple quick pecks, and then Mr. Bhatt turned away, pulling open the front door and leaving without allowing himself even a backward glance. Jira watched as her dad sighed and closed the door behind Mr. Bhatt. He stood there for a moment, holding his hand against the door, his head bent. Just as he began to turn, Jira darted away, trying to stay quiet as she hurried back to the kitchen so he couldn’t tell she’d been spying.

**

Daniel felt incredibly nervous as he walked back into the kitchen. He didn’t know how Jira was going to deal with this. She had said, nearly a year ago now, that she was OK with him dating again when the time came, but this was the first time that hypothetical became a reality. She hadn’t known about Marcus, or at least she hadn’t said anything if she did, but even then, that was…that was never going to turn into anything more than it was. His relationship with Liam could. God, he hoped it would. He wished he knew with more certainty what was going to happen, so he could explain it to her, prepare her, rather than having to let on how very, very new it was (and wasn’t).

Not to mention, he was extremely embarrassed that she found out about it in this way. He just hoped she hadn’t _heard_ anything. 

When he finally made it to the kitchen, she was standing behind the counter, pouring them both bowls of cereal. She looked up at him, smirking but not unkindly.

“So, how’s life?” she asked, taunting. 

Daniel closed his eyes, sighing. “Fine,” he told her, as he walked to the fridge to grab the milk.

“That’s all you’re going to say?!”

Daniel stepped next to her, put the milk carton on the counter, and exhaled slowly. He shrugged, then dropped his shoulders. “Not much else to say, right now. I…don’t know where that’s going. Maybe nowhere.”

Jira paused in her own activities. After a moment, she turned to face him, reaching out with one hand to grab his. 

“Don’t let him get away, Dad,” she instructed in a soft voice. “You both deserve happiness, and I think you could be really good for each other.”

Daniel looked down, unable to stop his smile at the compassion of his daughter and his agreement with her assessment. “I think so, too.”

**

Both of them had told the truth – neither of them was a particularly good dancer. That didn’t mean Daniel regretted for a second inviting Liam to be his date for the gala. Liam hadn’t hesitated at all, hadn’t asked for time to think it over. He had agreed immediately, grinning much the way he was now. Daniel couldn’t blame him for being happy at the moment – the DJ had just switched from a fast-paced song to a slow ballad.

Daniel smiled as well, even as he wrapped his arm around Liam’s waist and pulled him close. They swayed together, not really dancing so much as…hugging to a beat. Liam hummed happily, tilting his head slightly to kiss Daniel’s jaw. 

“I’m so glad you came,” Daniel observed.

“Me too,” Liam confirmed. After a moment, he added, “I just wish I hadn’t chickened out before.”

Daniel furrowed his brow, backing up to put some space between them. He looked at Liam with confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Tia’s party.”

“Oh,” Daniel said with sudden realization. He tried not to tense up, but he could tell by the way that Liam tightened his grip and prevented him from backing away farther that he hadn’t been successful. 

“When I – ” Liam continued, hesitant at first. “I meant ‘not yet,’ not ‘not ever.’”

After a moment, Daniel breathed out, relaxing. He stepped closer and started moving to the slow tune again. “How come you didn’t tell me that?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know. I got in my head and overthought it. Or didn’t think it through enough, maybe. I don’t know.”

They were both silent for a second, and Daniel wondered what he should say. But Liam beat him to it.

“I’m sorry. I could have saved us both a lot of – ”

“Got here in the end, didn’t we?” Daniel cut in, not willing to let him take full responsibility and not particularly wanting to rehash all the ways they’d hurt and punished each other over the last several months. But he did need to say _something_ about that too, before they could forget it forever. “I’m sorry too, for hurting you, for…”

“We got here in the end,” Liam said.

Daniel swallowed, pleased that they were on the same page for the first time in ages. He tugged Liam even closer, bending his head so their cheeks brushed slightly as they danced. The next song started, a bit faster but not fast enough to force them to break apart. Several long moments passed, and eventually, a vaguely mischievous smile grew across Daniel’s face.

“Question,” he said.

“Hmm?”

Daniel dropped his voice, just low enough so Liam could still hear it over the music. He tried to put a little extra gravel in it, to be as seductive as possible. 

“How we slept the other night,” he began, saying it slowly so Liam could take the time to remember exactly all the ways they did and did not sleep together. Then, he continued, “Is that your preferred side of the bed? Because it is actually mine and so it will take a bit of an adjustment for me to get used to the other side, but I will _graciously_ – ”

Liam’s chuckling cut Daniel off before he could finish. “A little presumptuous, don’t you think?” Liam asked. 

Daniel shrugged. “Just planning ahead.”

“For tonight?”

He tilted his head in agreement but went on to shake his head. “For…well, a long time. Don’t want to scare you away by saying how long.”

“I’m not scared,” Liam said quickly and so sincerely Daniel wanted to shout in joy. “Plan as much as you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story obviously exists in part because of the line in the show where Daniel says he didn't think Liam would come to the party but, now I can say it, perhaps even more because of the bit in my other fic where Jira is asked if she ever walked in on them having sex. Heh.


End file.
